Mammalia 2015; aop *Corresponding author: Nasra Ashraf, Department of Wildlife Management, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan; and Department of Zoology, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, Pakistan, e-mail: nasra.ashraf@yahoo.com Maqsood Anwar and Iftikhar Hussain: Department of Wildlife Management, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Punjab, Pakistan Sarwat N. Mirza: Department of Forestry and Range Management, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi, Pakistan M. Cecilia Latham and A. David M. Latham: Landcare Research, P.O. Box 69040, Lincoln 7640, Canterbury, New Zealand Nasra Ashraf*, Maqsood Anwar, Iftikhar Hussain, Sarwat N. Mirza, M. Cecilia Latham and A. David M. Latham Habitat use of Himalayan grey goral in relation to livestock grazing in Machiara National Park, Pakistan Abstract: The Himalayan grey goral ( Naemorhedus goral bedfordi) occurs in Pakistan and India, and is classified as Near Threatened on The IUCN Red List. This subspecies is threatened primarily by illegal hunting and competition with livestock, resulting in small and fragmented popula- tions. The present study provides information on habitat use by grey goral at two locations in Machiara National Park (MNP), Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan, from 2012 to 2013. One location had low grazing pressure from livestock (Machiara), whereas the other had intensive livestock grazing (Serli Sacha). We determined the dis- tribution of grey goral through direct observations of the animals and by the presence of their faecal pellets. We assessed habitat preferences using Ivlev’s electivity index (IEI) by comparing vegetation and topography at used and unused quadrats along nine monitoring lines. Grey gorals strongly avoided areas with high livestock num- bers, particularly grazers (cattle Bos taurus and sheep Ovis aries). Grey gorals were most commonly observed on south-facing slopes between 1970 and 2900 m a.s.l. dur- ing all seasons. Grey gorals preferred herbs and grasses (IEI  = 0.14), used shrubby vegetation in proportion to its availability (IEI  = 0.03), and avoided densely treed areas (IEI  = -0.54). Our study suggests that a comprehensive live- stock grazing strategy needs to be developed for the con- servation of habitat suitable for grey goral in MNP. Keywords: caprinae; conservation status; livestock grazing; Naemorhedus goral bedfordi; threatened. DOI 10.1515/mammalia-2014-0099 Received July 3, 2014; accepted December 16, 2014 Introduction The gorals ( Naemorhedus spp. Smith 1827) are small antelope-like goats in the subfamily Caprinae (Valdez 2011). They are endemic to mountainous central-east Asia, occurring from northern Pakistan to eastern China and the Russian Far East (Valdez 2011). The Himalayan brown goral ( N. goral goral Lydekker 1905) and the Hima- layan grey goral ( N. g. bedfordi Hardwicke 1825) occupy the Himalaya Mountains where their distributions are believed to be separated by the Sutlej River in the region of Punjab (Valdez 2011). In Pakistan, grey gorals occur in small, often isolated populations that stretch as far west as the lower Swat River, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province [Government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (GOAJK) 1985, Roberts 1997, Valdez 2011, Abbas et al. 2012]. Within these isolated populations, there are an estimated 370–1017 grey gorals at the minimum (Abbas et al. 2012), and they are classified as Near Threatened throughout their range on The IUCN Red List (Duckworth and Mackinnon 2008, Valdez 2011). The greatest threats to this species are widespread habitat alteration and disturbance, particularly illegal hunting, habitat loss and intensive livestock grazing (Anwar 1989, Valdez 2011). Unless game laws are strictly enforced and additional protected areas are created, these factors are expected to further impact remnant grey goral populations (Abbas 2006, Valdez 2011). Competition with livestock may be particularly difficult to deal with as vil- lagers with legal rights to graze their animals and collect timber and firewood extend into grey goral range (Mishra and Johnsingh 1996, Abbas et al. 2012, Cochard and Dar 2014), potentially altering grey goral habitat use. Grey gorals reportedly occur at elevations of 700– 3500 m a.s.l., but they have been reported as low as 350 m a.s.l. in some areas (Duckworth and Mackinnon 2008). Authenticated | nasra.ashraf@yahoo.com author's copy Download Date | 1/23/15 9:09 AM